Fallout 4: Two Hours In

We as gamers have waited a very very long 5 months since Fallout 4 was announced at E3, and it’s finally here. Bethesda’s new masterpiece has finally hit the shelves and the internet has gone crazy for it! Mods have already been released for the game! But does it really live up to the hype the internet and Todd Howard, the game’s director, have built up for it?

This 2 hour in review is going to go over that, and although it’s only covering the first couple hours into the game, we will be doing a FULL review shortly. This is the PS4 version of the game, and I will do my best to avoid all major story spoilers within the plot so far. To repeat myself this is not a full review, and my opinions of the game now could change as I play more of the game.

Starting Up

When first installing the game, instead of a loading bar, you will first be introduced to several small black and white cartoons featuring our favorite little man in a jumpsuit, Vault Boy!

These little cartoons are packed with charm!

These serve as a tutorial to the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. skill system in the game. Not only does this help to newcomers to the series (such as myself), it also is good for a laugh as Vault Boy seems to get killed in a gruesome comedic manner for each different stat!

Once the game actually starts, you are taken to a very well done live action cut scene giving some foundation for the world of Fallout. It shows how history has taken an alternate route from our reality from World War II with atomic engineering, and the major events of this new world to the modern day. It is now the year 2077, and you and your spouse awake to another beautiful morning, but it won’t stay that way for very long…

Character Creation!!!

As with any Bethesda RPG, it also comes with a very extensive character creator, but instead of selecting your character’s facial features from a bunch of presets as usual, you get to actually sculpt your face to your choosing using the thumbsticks, allowing an almost unlimited amount of possibilities for your avatar. I know I at least spent up to an hour on my character to smooth out every last thing I thought looked weird on him. You of course can also choose to be the opposite sex as well.

Some very interesting creations may come out of this…

One thing I wish they did have in it though was more hair styles and the ability to change your body type to a larger degree. I’ve noticed that when my girlfriend and I were making our own character that for females there are only two different hair styles that barely go past your shoulders in length, and I feel the men’s hair is lacking as well. Most options are similar and don’t give much diversity. Other than those two minor gripes, it’s a very simple and fun system to use.

To The Vault!

If you have watched the E3 demo of Fallout 4, you will already be familiar with this much, but I’m going to recap the prologue section of the game for the people that haven’t. After creating your character, you, your spouse, Codsworth your robot butler and your son Shaun will all spend a lovely morning together listening to the news on the TV. After talking to a Vault-Tec Salesman at the door, you learn that an impending nuclear fallout is just over the horizon, and you are given free access to your town’s local vault if such an event occurred. Here you will verify your information by naming your character and adding points to all of your stats, similar to Fallout 3. Almost immediately after, bomb sirens are then blasted across the town and you and your family rush to the vault as an oncoming nuclear attack ensues. More major events occur once safe, but all you need to know is that you escape to the vault with your family and eventually leave the vault a good amount of time later back into the world.

Back To “Civilization”

Once out in the open again, everything is unrecognizable and you are left on your own to survive. This is when you truly get to experience Fallout 4 at its true potential. I’ve heard many say that the graphics aren’t very good, but I disagree wholeheartedly. I found it breathtaking first seeing the bright blue crisp skies contrasting with the poisoned radiation soaked ground below. Although it’s a post apocalyptic world, you can’t help but feel at home once settled in, and that’s because you literally FEEL at home. Not only do you shortly come across a group of friendly survivors early on, but you get to invite them to built your own settlement. A sanctuary.

Absolutely beautiful.

This aspect of the game is immediately addicting. although I’ve only tapped the surface if it so far, I can tell it will get so much better. In this new workshop mode, you’re able to deconstruct the junk and broken objects of your settlement and built all sorts of things to make it feel more like home. So far I’ve only made shelter and crops for my people, but you can then set up electricity and automated defense systems to fend off raiders and other baddies. I can not wait to dump many more hours on making my broken old town into a living and breathing home once again.

The Gameplay

Fallout 4 plays very similar to Fallout 3. It’s as simple as that. All the buttons do exactly what you’d expect them to do in a Fallout game. As for the feeling of it though, that is also on par, as it should be when compared to Bethesda’s other popular RPG’s. Shooting your gun and swinging melee weapons feels good also, except I feel the accuracy on certain weapons are off. When aiming down the iron sights for some weapons, even at close range, shots miss when it almost seems impossible for them to miss. Overall though the game does feel very good, as it should being a Bethesda game. There’s much more to go into, but I still need to fiddle with the game more before having a clear opinion on it.

That’s all to cover for now, but 2 hours was defiantly enough to get me hooked in. As I keep playing I keep getting more and more excited to play side quests and discover more secrets about the main story. A full review of Fallout 4 will be coming out soon, and there I will cover all things missing in here along with a better look into particular aspects of the game. Even now though I can tell you I highly recommend it if you liked the previous game, or even the Elder Scrolls series for that matter.

Are you excited to get Fallout 4? Did you already get Fallout 4? Do you have different opinions? Leave a comment detailing your experience and thoughts below! And thanks for reading!

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Just your average guy from a small town in the Midwest. I grew up watching and playing video games to the best of my ability. A bit of a Nintendo fan boy as well. My favorite game series without a doubt is The Legend of Zelda. IT'S SO GOOD.